Spool holder arrangement for sewing machines



Oct. 26, 1965 K. RUSSMANN 3,213,815

SPOOL HOLDER ARRANGEMENT FOR SEWING MACHINES Filed Nov. 30, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

KARL RUSSMANN BY HEMC A TTORNEYS K. RUSSMANN 3,213,815

SPOOL HOLDER ARRANGEMENT FOR SEWING MACHINES Oct. 26, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 30, 1962 FIG4 A WI

INVENTOR.

KARL RUSSMANN ATTORNEYS United States Patent M 3,213,815 SPOOL HOLDER ARRANGEMENT FOR SEWING MACHINES Karl Riissrnaun, 3 Siegstrasse, Dusseldorf, Germany Filed Nov. 30, 1962, Ser. No. 241,392 4 Claims. (Cl. 112-218) The present invention relates to a spool holder arrangement in sewing machines, for example, in stitching machines for shoemakers.

In the sewing machines customary heretofore, only one spool holder is usually provided for a single spool of thread. If a thread of a color different from the one then in use on the machine is required, the spool of thread must first be removed, the end of the thread has to be wound manually from the eye of the needle to the spool, and the new spool of thread having the desired color has to be placed thereafter on the spool holder or pin. Subsequent thereto the thread has to be drawn through the tensioning device, the eye, the thread tensioning lever and through the needle bar to the needle eye. This operation is very time-consuming.

In order to overcome this drawback, the present invention proposes to arrange on the machine arm several supporting pins or holders for the spools of thread to be individually adjusted to the thread tension, the ends of which are jointly guided through the thread guide to the needle. If the supporting pins for the spools of thread or yarn are arranged in a circular or oval manner, then a centrally disposed guide eyelet for the different threads may advantageously be provided. The ends of the threads which are disposed near the needle may be fastened, for example, to a comb-like member which may, for instance, be mounted on one of the guide levers.

Such an arrangement has the great advantage that the varicolored threads may be drawn and guided up to within proximity of the needle so that according to need, the desired color may be threaded through the needle eye without difficulty and without removal of one spool of thread and emplacement of another spool on the spool pin. This results in considerably facilitating and shortening the work. Additionally, the thread is protected by the tensioning device engaging the spool. Any unnecesary touching or handling of sensitive light threads or yarns with dirty hands is also avoided thereby. Since the spools of threads having dilterent colors are arranged on a support member or within an enclosure or receptacle, the various colors can be readily viewed.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a multithread spool holder for sewing machines or the like which eliminates, by simple means the disadvantages and shortcomings encountered with the prior arrangements.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a spool holder arrangement which greatly facilitates the use of threads having different colors and also reduces the work connected with changing from one color to the other.

Another object of the present invention resides in the provision of a spool holder for multicolor threads which is simple in construction, reliable in operation and permits individual adjustment of the thread tension for each spool.

Still another object of the present invention resides in the provision of a spool holder arrangement for spools of different color which minimizes soiling of the threads of diflerent color.

These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more obvious from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawing which shows, for purposes 3,213,815 Patented Oct. 26, 1965 of illustration only, two embodiments in accordance with the present invention and wherein:

FIGURE 1 is an elevational view of the sewing machine arm having an oval spool holder arrangement according to the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a cross-sectional view through the oval spool holder arrangement of FIGURE 1 according to the present invention;

FIGURE 3 is a cross-sectional view of a modified embodiment of a spool holder arrangement in accordance with the present invention in which the spools are arranged in series, that is, in one or several rows, and

FIGURE 4 is a partial cross-sectional view, on an enlarged scale, of the spool holder arrangement of FIGURE 3 according to the present invention.

Referring now to the drawing, wherein like reference numerals are used throughout the various views to designate like parts, and more particularly to FIGURES l and 2 thereof, reference numeral 1 designates therein the machine arm of the sewing machine. An oval enclosure or container 2 which is equipped with a plurality of supporting pins 3 for supporting or carrying spools 4 with threads of different colors is arranged at the machine arm 1. Approximately in the center of the enclosure 2 is arranged a guide eye 5 through which are drawn the individual threads from the different spools 4. The entire group or bundle of threads is then threaded or drawn through an eye 7 and through the eye of the thread take-up lever 8 and thereafter through the hollow needle holder 9. All of the ends 6a of the threads emerge from the lower end of this needle holder 9 and are fastened within small notches of a comb-like member 10. This comb-like member 10 may, for example, be secured to one side of the thread guide lever 11.

If a certain color of thread is to be used for sewing, the corresponding end 6b thereof is drawn through the eye 12 of the needle 13. When work with this color of thread 617 has been completed, a thread of a different color may be taken without difliculty from the comb-like member 10 and may be threaded through the eye 12.

With this construction, it is important that each thread may be tensioned individually. This is attained, for example, by placing upon the end of each supporting pin 3 a small spring 14 which may be actuated by a wingnut 15 or the like. Thus, each single spool of thread 4 is adjusted individually to the thread tension required.

The enclosure or container 2, together with the spools of threads 4, may also be closed off by a lid 16, as shown in FIGURE 2. This Lid may be made, for example, of transparent material so as to enable ready inspection of all the spools 4 therein.

It is understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiment illustrated in FIGURES 1 and 2. Instead, it is also within the purview of the present invention to arrange the spools of thread, for instance, on a circular supporting plate or the like so that all of the spools have the same distance from the central eyelet 5.

Furthermore, it is also possible, according to still another modification of the present invention, to arrange the spools in a line one behind the other or next to each other. FIGURE 3 shows an arrangement in one or several rows whereby each individual spool 4 is advantageously covered by a separate dust-protecting cover 17. Each housing is thereby equipped with a vertical slot for the outlet of the thread in order to enable the thread or yarn to be threaded directly without deflection into the wire noose or loop 19 by way of the separate thread tensioning means 18.

With the use of an individual thread tensioning means 18 for each spool of thread, a common tension release means is required, which is achieved by actuating the release lever 20.

By exerting a slight pressure toward the right of this release means or lever 20, the upper tensioning disks of the thread tension means 18 are raised by means of a pin 21 arranged on the inside thereof. Actuation of these pins 21 takes place by means of the release lever 20 by way of the cross bar 22.

During sewing, it frequently happens that some turns of the thread will slip off the spool and wind about the spool pin, and thereafter can be unwound only by removing the spool.

In order to avoid this inconvenience, the present invention proposes to mount or place the spools of thread on special base or socket members 23 which are provided with recesses or apertures corresponding to the size of the spools of thread of the most frequently and conventionally used makes.

Any turns of thread which might otherwise possibly slip off the spool can thus no longer get under the spools nor wind tightly around the supporting pin thereof.

While I have shown and described one embodiment in accordance with the present invention, it is understood that the same is not limited thereto but is susceptible of many changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the present invention and I, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the details shown and described herein but intend to cover all such changes and modifications as are encompassed by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A spool holder arrangement for use in sewing machines having a needle, a machine arm, a machine eye, eyelet means and a thread take-up lever, comprising a plurality of supporting pin means adapted to receive spools carrying threads thereon, adjusting means for individually adjusting the tensions of said threads, said eyelet means, said machine eye and said thread take-up lever being adapted to receive and guide the ends of said threads jointly to within the vicinity of said needle, said supporting pin means being disposed in a curved formation closed upon itself, said eyelet means comprising a single eyelet disposed approximately centrally with respect to said closed curve formation.

2. A spool holder arrangement for use in sewing machines having a needle, a machine arm, a machine eye and a thread take-up lever having a single thread-receiving aperture, comprising a plurality of supporting pin means adapted to receive thereon thread-carrying spools, said supporting pin means being disposed in a curved formation closed upon itself, an eyelet member disposed within said closed formation and adjusting means for individually adjusting the tension of the thread of each of said spools, said thread-receiving aperture of said thread takeup lever and said machine eye being adapted to jointly guide the thread of each of said spools to within the vicinity of said needle, said needle having an eye, and

means facilitating the selection of a desired thread for insertion through said eye comprising a toothed structure on said machine disposed above said needle for receiving thereon the free ends of the threads,

3. A spool holder arrangement for use in sewing machines having a needle, a machine arm, a machine eye and a thread take-up lever having an aperture, comprising a plurality of supporting pin means for receiving thereon thread-carrying spools, adjustable tensioning means for individually adjusting the tension of the thread of each of said spools, said aperture in said thread take-up lever and said machine eye being adapted to receive and guide the end of the respective thread carried by each of said spools to within the vicinity of said needle, and common release means for'substantially simultaneously releasing the tension of all said tensioning means including a re lease lever, a secondary pin means for each tensioning means having an axis substantially parallel to the axis of said first-mentioned pin means, and connecting means operatively connecting said lever with each of said secondary pins, said secondary pins being actuated upon movement of said release lever.

4. A spool holder arrangement for use in sewing machines having a needle, a machine arm, a machine eye and a thread take-up lever, comprising a plurality of supporting pin means for receiving thereon thread-carrying spools, base means for each of the spools of such configuration as to prevent any thread dropping off the spool from winding about a respective pin means, and tensioning means for individually adjusting the tension of the thread of each of said spools, said thread take-up lever and said machine eye being adapted to receive and guide the end of the thread from each of said spools to within the vicinity of said needle, tension release means operatively connected to said tensioning means, said tension release means comprising a plurality of reciprocable secondary pin means, and means common to said plurality of secondary pin means for causing simultaneous reciprocation thereof in directions substantially parallel to the axes of each first-mentioned pin means.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 44,720 10/64 Gritzner 112-254 367,972 8/87 Goodwin 242-134 1,151,513 8/15 De Voe 112-242X 1,502,048 7/24 Merritt 112-254 X 1,822,765 9/31 Dickey 112-218 2,871,808 2/59 Matuzas 112-218 2,976,831 3/61 Hacklander 112-254 3,067,704 12/62 Peders-en 2.. 112-218 X FOREIGN PATENTS 614,059 5/35 Germany.

2,186 1902 Great Britain. 17,602 1899 Great Britain. 17,952 1903 Great Britain.

JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner. DAVID J. WILLIAMQWSKY, Examiner, 

1. A SPOOL HOLDER ARRANGEMENT FOR USE IN SEWING MACHINES CHINES HAVING A NEEDLE, A MACHINE ARM, A MACHINE EYE, EYELET MEAHS AND A THIRD TAKE-UP LEVER, COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF SUPPORTING PIN MEANMS ADAPTED TO RECEIVE SPOOLS CARRYING THREADS THEREON, ADJUSTING MEANS FOR INDIVIDUALLY ADJUSTING THE TENSIONS OF SAID THREADS, SAID EYELET MEANS, SAID MACHINE EYE AND SAID THREAD TAKE-UP LEVER BEING ADAPTED TO RECEIVE AND GUIDE THE ENDS OF SAID THREADS JOINTLY TO WITHIN THE VICINITY OF SAID NEEDLE, SAID SUPPORTING PIN MEANS BEING DISPOSED IN A CURVED FORMATION CLOSED UPON ITSELF, SAID EYELET MEANS COMPRISING A SINGLE EYELET DISPOSED APPROXIMATELY CENTRALLY WITH RESPECT TO SAID CLOSED CURVED FORMATION. 